The current situation of the Columbia City Farmers Market is: the new owners of the Columbia Plaza property are allowing the market to stay in its same location, rent-free, in 2008 and 2009. This is great news, as it allows us a little breathing room to work on securing a new location. They may possibly extend this through 2010 too. After that, the market will indeed need a new home.

There already exists a group called Friends of the Columbia City Farmers Market. The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 5 at Tutta Bella at 8:30 am. The group is a mix of neighbors, friends, developers and market staff, and they are working on solutions to securing the market’s future. We encourage anyone interested in the future of the market to come to the Friends of the market meetings and contribute your time, energy and expertise.

Hello,
The next meeting of the Friends of the Columbia City Farmers Market is Tuesday, Feb 5, 8:30 am at Tutta Bella. If you can't make it to the meeting and have questions or suggestions, you can email the market manager, Karen, at gro.stekramsremrafelttaes|knerak#gro.stekramsremrafelttaes|knerak.
The group does not have a website, but they will be looking into other ways to get information out to the community. A good place to check for updates and information is the actual farmers market website: www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org (click on Columbia City Farmers Market).
During the market season, you can also talk to the staff at the farmers market with your questions and concerns.

In response to the suggestion about St Edwards: all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. During the last year or so, the Friends group has indeed compiled an extensive list of possible locations, including St Edwards, and has already been investigating them.